The Makings of a Very Long Day
by JP Reader
Summary: Babe sorta, romance doesn't play a huge role. Morelli gets a slight mention later but we all know he's basically a good guy .. maybe just not the right guy. Ranger spends a long day with the sisters. Rating is for mild potty mouth.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I of course do not own any of these characters. They belong to Janet Evanovich, all of them. All the usuals, I make no money, mean no harm blah blah blah blah. I have a couple of chapters of this sitting around, hopefully I'll get them up over the next couple of days. It's not too long, just something I needed to move out of my brain so I could work on something else that I like better. I really just wanted the practice of uploading something … never done it before. Please be kind and don't make me cry. If you want to criticize, use nice words and maybe send me chocolate.

Nobody has Beta'd so all the mistakes, those I own.

**Chapter One**

_One generation plants the trees, the next gets the shade._

~Chinese Proverb

There was an uneasy feeling as I stared into the familiar aquamarine blue eyes. Such a feeling should not be ignored. It is a prediction. It is a foretelling of danger. It is a biological warning sign that declares: PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

She was sitting in a chair on the other side of my desk - wiggling and twisting, unable to quiet herself for even a couple of minutes. She has that personality type, one of those people who must move and be busy. Her body demands that she must go before her mind has settled on a destination. I should offer her training, help her to learn control.

I would say no. I have neither the skills nor the inclination to tackle the task that had been asked of me.

Her sister was in the second chair. With the wide oval shape and the thick lashes, the eyes in that face are also genetically Plum. The irises however are of a lighter hue. The sister's eyes are blue diamonds – sharp and piercing. I had seen her before. She was a fellow captive at the occasional Plum family Friday night dinners. She tends to hold herself separate from the chaos, her eyes scanning the table – often reflecting horror.

I know her to be more of an observer than a participant; she is overlooked in favor of more flamboyant family members. I suspect that is a situation she cultivates. Unlike many, attention is not her primary goal. At least the sister is able to sit without squirming.

"No."

"Ranger, you promised."

My gaze moved from the two sisters to where Steph was standing. She rolled her own Plum shaped eyes in exasperation. They are a family of eye rollers and it is a mannerism that Steph has perfected. "They're just two little girls. We made a DEAL Ranger. A DEAL. I would do the nasty Distraction job for you and you would arrange for the care of the girls – so Val and I could have a day together."

"Ella was going to watch them. I didn't know Ella would get the flu."

"Look!" Steph held up a bulging sack. "Books, crayons, video games! Just let them hang out here. I'll come back and pick them up later. They're not babies, they can practically watch themselves. You'll hardly know they're around."

Steph strode around my desk and leaned down, kissing me. "Be brave, Batman" she whispered softly into my lips.

"Ewwww" Mary Alice made a gagging sound.

The older sister sighed loudly and dramatically, conveying her displeasure with the situation. She performed a 'Burg death glare toward Steph, laying blame for the situation on her Aunt's conscience. Angie then uncrossed her ankles and removed them from where they had been tucked under the chair in a ladylike fashion. Pushing herself up, she walked over to the couch in the corner of my office.

"This certainly has the makings of a very long day" there was an angry mutter. I admired her controlled use of volume. She was barely loud enough to make sure we could hear, but quiet enough that it would be difficult to accuse her of being impolite. Removing a second backpack from her shoulder, she unzipped it and rummaged until she found a large book. Setting herself down on my couch she began reading. We had all been found lacking and dismissed.

"Babe." I was up out of my chair and across the room. I grabbed Steph's arm and drug her out into the hallway.

"You don't even _like_ your sister." I hissed into her ear.

She gasped. "What do you mean? Of course I like my sister Ranger!"

"You complain about her." I kept my voice low so the girls in my office wouldn't hear me.

"I can hear you!" Mary Alice called out from her spot by my desk.

Steph rolled her eyes and looked at me. "We're sisters - of course I complain. Just until tonight Ranger. We need you. Mom's out of town, Grandma's not allowed to babysit them anymore, Albert's Mother would only take the baby, Mary Lou can barely handle her own kids. I want to spend a day with my sister and Val deserves this. It hasn't been easy for her you know, all the changes."

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the hallway wall, reaching out and entrapping Steph close, between my legs. She shifted her body in my arms, lightly kissing my neck with her lips - her best power move. "Please Ranger?"

I groaned.

"Thank you" Then she pushed herself off of my chest and walked away, stopping a moment to greet the various men in the Control Room. Quickly she was at the elevators and gone. She left before I could change my mind.

Tank silently came to my side, stopping to look through my office door and then back to me. Even to me his face was unreadable - masking whatever thoughts he might have about this ridiculous situation. He nodded at me and then went into his own office, closing the door behind him.

I silently repeated Angie's quiet words to myself. "This certainly has the makings of a very long day." Then I squared my shoulders and re-entered the office. They're only two little girls, right?


	2. Chapter 2

a/n – Again, nothing is mine except the mistakes.

**Chapter Two**

_I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass. _

Maya Angelou

"What are you reading Angie?" I looked down at the massive book perched on her lap, puzzled.

"Government and Comparative Politics" Her voice is precise. The time in California has deterred a Jersey accent from attaching itself to her diction.

I removed the book from her lap, sticking a finger in the pages to mark her place and studied the cover. It seemed to be a school textbook but surely not for her age. It was advanced, perhaps High School or even College level. Angie reached out and removed the book from my hands. Her movements were controlled and polite but the message was clear – MINE! GIVE IT BACK!

"If you like, Mr. Ranger, I will lend it to you once I have finished reading." She has an understated manner of speaking which is more effective than any amount of screaming.

"Seriously? Where'd you get this book?"

"My Step-Father orders my books from Amazon. Of course you may borrow it, if you promise to return it in good condition."

"I meant - Comparative Politics? You're ten years old, you really understand this?" Not much could astound me but she was close.

"Estimations of ability and interest should not be based upon pre-conceived notions derived from age, gender, and/or physical appearance." The voice remained polite, but the ice blue diamonds glittered with her disapproval. I had been chastised by a fifth grade girl. A fifth grade girl with an astonishing vocabulary.

My mouth turned up a bit. "Stereotype. I shouldn't stereotype."

"Exactly." Her face relaxed into a gentler look and I was forgiven. "Stereotypes can lead to false assumptions."

"Good point. So why are you reading Comparative Politics?" In spite of myself I sat down on the couch next to her, wanting to have a chat. A chat? I don't chat.

"I find it interesting."

She was reading it because she found it interesting. I had stereotyped her as a 'Burg clone based only upon her physical resemblance to her Mother. There was more to this girl than I had considered.

"What are your plans - for the future?"

I finally had her full attention and interest, her face became pretty with excitement over the topic. "Perhaps Harvard Law, someday. If I'm good enough."

"You want to be a lawyer, like the Kloughn...I mean, Albert – your Step-Father…." I am generally careful with words, speaking only after consideration that the ones I have chosen communicate my intent effectively. Shit. The child had thrown me off my game.

She wrinkled her nose at me and I suspected she was withholding a laugh at the attempt to cover-up my opinion of Albert Kloughn's ability. "Perhaps not exactly like Albert. Albert practices an unconventional sort of law."

Albert's practice is unconventional in that he has painfully few clients. Usually Albert practices little to no law. He mostly sits in his office at the Laundromat and exchanges quarters and dollars for those who have forgotten to bring exact change.

"But you have thought about what you'd do with a law degree?"

"Well, maybe….." she looked a little wistful. I didn't speak while waiting for her to continue. I wanted to see where her thoughts would lead without prompting on my part. "I read an article about a woman who was working in Africa, trying to make laws that would guarantee female children could go to school."

"You could do that Angie, but…" I hesitated, wondering just how far the 'Burg culture was ingrained into her. "Will you get married and have children?"

Her forehead wrinkled as she became puzzled. "Mr. Ranger. I'm only ten years old. I really don't think much about marriage. It seems to be an odd question."

The words brought me up short. I wondered why I had asked the question. A ten year old girl was sitting in my office expressing dreams of Harvard Law School, and all I could wonder is whether she'd want to be a housewife. What was wrong with me? Suddenly I had another chilling thought. It was quiet in my office. Quiet in a space where noisiness should be expected.

I looked around the room. Nothing. I stood up and went to my desk, actually taking a moment to look underneath it. Nothing.

The small one was gone.

Hey people. Thanks for the reviews and messages I've received. They are appreciated.  Anybody else who wants to tell me anything, please do. Couple chapters of this left. Hint: FIELD TRIP!


	3. Chapter 3

a/n Don't own Ranger, Angie, Mary Alice, Cal, Hector, Bobby and anybody that I've forgotten to mention. No money in my account. Thank you JE, for your wonderful world.

**Chapter Three**

_If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."_

~Author Unknown but it frequently shows up on Greeting Cards

"Where?" I looked over toward Angie.

She didn't bother to look up from her spot on the couch or her book. She just pointed a finger over her shoulder, toward the general direction of the break room.

I turned and looked down the second hallway, seeing a group of black clad men gathered in the door to a conference room.

I strode down the hallway and pushed my way through. A chair had been lifted up onto the conference table and Mary Alice was standing upright on it, stretching her arms up toward the ceiling. I briefly wondered how she had managed the feat- the chair had to weigh almost as much as the girl. One ceiling tile was already knocked aside and she was peering into the hole.

"Mary Alice!"

"Does anybody have a flashlight?" She called out.

I mentally composed myself by slowly blinking my eyes twice and clenching and un-clenching my fists, willing the tension out of my body. I wanted to come to grips with the sight before I started yelling at people.

"What. Is. She. Doing?!" I barked at the guys who were grouped behind me.

"Escaping the terrorists." Somebody offered up, with a snort.

My fists involuntarily re-clenched and I had to return them to a relaxed state. "Explain."

"I saw it the other night on TV!" Mary Alice called down to me. "Some guy had to escape the terrorists and he climbed up into the ceiling. It was way cool, Ranger! I thought it would be a handy skill for my list."

"Your list?" I quietly interrupted her, feeling a little foolish actually saying the words in front of my staff.

"Yep!" I keep a list of stuff I should learn to do…you know, things that'll be handy.

"Ah boss, she's really not hurting anything." Cal grinned. He obviously thought the situation was amusing.

"Did anybody even consider stopping her?" I searched around the room. A crowd of tall, large men – apparently each and every one of them without a brain – sheepishly looked back at me.

"Well not hurting anything -- other than Hector" Cal amended pointing toward a chair in the corner where Hector was sitting. Bobby was standing over him, holding an ice pack to Hector's face.

"What happened to Hector?" I rubbed the spot on my forehead where the headache was building.

"A Kung Fu kick when he tried to stop her." Lester was leaning against the wall, grinning like mad. "I could guess who taught her that one, Classic Bombshell."

"He let her kick him…."

"She's a little girl Ranger. What was he supposed to do, knock her out?"

"It wasn't my fault! He scared me!" Mary Alice called down from her chair.

"Enough!" I marched into the room and stopped a couple of feet away from the table. The girl was still perched on top of the chair, peering up into the gaping hole in my ceiling. Her legs were slightly coiled, like she was going to attempt a jump.

"Mary Alice, it was a movie. Movies are not real. You cannot climb through the ceiling. Come down now, before you get hurt." I tried to temper my voice into something that wouldn't scare her too much, but still – three of the men fled from the room.

"Geeze, okay."

She scrambled down from the chair and then jumped from the table, landing in a heap at my feet. "Oops." She giggled from the floor. "I'm okay." She told me rolling over to look up. I reached a hand out and pulled her up, trying hard not to laugh at her.

"You need to control yourself, little girl. You hurt Hector." I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him.

Her eyes went wide with shock when she saw him sitting in the chair, and then became bright with tears. She tore herself from my grasp and ran toward him, throwing her body into his chest. He was startled, but he brought a hand up and patted her on the back.

"Lo Siento Hector! Lo Siento!" She sniffled onto his shoulder.

"Tu habla español, niña?" He asked her, smiling over her head at me.

"Sí"

Hector laughed softly and pushed her away gently. "Muy bien, chica. Muy bien" He reached out to tug on a light brown curl.


End file.
